Post-It Power: Recording #23 (convert-video-online.com).mp4

Recording #23 (convert-video-online.com).mp4

Teacher Reflection

In this video, I explain to students the choices that they have in their reflection question. This student choice gives them some control over the question they feel best about, which is often pretty illuminating.

Teacher Reflection

In this video, I explain to students the choices that they have in their reflection question. This student choice gives them some control over the question they feel best about, which is often pretty illuminating.

Post-It Power

Teachers need feedback from their students constantly to make good decisions. One way I check what my students brains are doing is through Post it Power. This strategy involves students writing an answer to either a reflective question or math problem that will illuminate their understanding. Using this information, I get a powerful, visual snapshot of the class that helps me to make decisions about the following days' lesson.

In this video, I explain to students the choices that they have in their reflection question. This student choice gives them some control over the question they feel best about, which is often pretty illuminating.

In this video, I explain to students the choices that they have in their reflection question. This student choice gives them some control over the question they feel best about, which is often pretty illuminating.

About this strategy

Similar Strategies

Bull Boards is an instructional strategy to practice a computational or fluency skill throughout the week. The skill should be scaffolded, with simple questions building towards more rigor. I found that a main objective of this should not be to get bogged down with long problems (i.e. long division) but rather to check a thought process. For example, asking what a decimal is when rounded to the tenths, or which place value would be a hundred times bigger. The same skills cycle back throughout the year as a way to keep content fresh and allow us to connect currculum quicker.

Carpet Transitions is a process where students walk from their desks to the carpet (or another location) for the next activity. Expectations and directions are explicitly laid out, and we evaluate how our transitions go. As we perform these transitions more and more, we emphasize our efficiency and use of our time. Through this process, we make the most of our learning time and ensure students transition safely.

At the end of each class period, we spend time celebrating the soft skills students exhibited throughout class. Rather than focusing on academic achievements such as tests, we shout out students who show our core values, such as persistence, responsibility, or empathy. This way students get a chance to recognize one another for their support throught class. This ritual also positively reinforces these values, as students feel successful when they get a shout out.